Previews

Grid

Spiffy:

Iffy:

No collection elements; only one teammate; 24-minute Le Mans.

Grid's senior producer Alex Grimley was kind enough to fly out from the U.K. to show off his new game, right here in sunny Brisbane. Grid expands the series' gameplay with new venues, new race types, and a few new tricks. However, you won't be spending any time building cars, swapping parts, or designing the swankiest look out there. Grid wants you focused entirely on the race, not putting together a car show.

Shut Up and Drive

One of the most striking decisions in Grid is to move into a variety of race types in a variety of regions. Races will be available in Japan, Europe, and the U.S., and each area will have race types that reflect their culture. Japan's races will focus on racing highly tuned cars in downhill and drift events, Europe's on on-track racing and extravagant events like Le Mans, and America's on street and city racing. It's a giant step forward for the team that's been doing Colin McRae games for so long.

In the interest of keeping you totally focused on the race, there is no car customization in Grid. All the cars you can race in, from Mustangs to BMWs, come as race-tuned as they're going to get. Although you can assemble a nice stable of rides, you won't be swapping parts. Customization will be limited to choosing a livery, placing sponsor's stickers, and selecting colors for your team. It's an interesting (and brave) feature to exclude. We'll see if it succeeds in putting the race front and center or just pushes gamers back.

In each of the three regions, you'll start as a fresh driver looking for a hire. It's a bit silly that you can proceed to championship levels in Europe and have to start at the bottom in Japan, but we understand the need for an advancement system. As you race, you'll gain cash and reputation, allowing you to buy cars, participate in more prestigious events, and eventually lead your own racing team.

"Team" is a bit of a misnomer, since you can only hire one other driver at a time. However, each of the hundreds of AI drivers in the game are theoretically unique, a matrix of personality, strategic ability, and driving chops, and you can hire any of them you can afford. That means picking and keeping the right driver in your one team slot is an important skill. The team member limit reflects, again, the game's focus on the race. Grid isn't about collecting cars, or collecting drivers. It's about racing.